About Us
Bergen County Aikido
Mike and Brad have been studying Aikido since they were teenagers, practicing under 6th degree black belt Jerry Zimmerman Sensei at Aikido North Jersey. Both are lifelong educators and committed to helping their students develop physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Bergen County Aikido is a United States Aikido Federation member dojo and is affiliated with Aikikai World Headquarters, Hombu Dojo in Tokyo, Japan.
The Art of Aikido
Aikido unites body and mind to create balance and awareness, redirecting and controlling aggression to protect both practitioner and attacker. It is contemplative and dynamic, a great vehicle for cardio fitness and strength, and teaches throws, falls, joint locks, and defensive skills.
Aikido was developed in Japan in the early 20th century by Morihei Ueshiba, known to his students as O-Sensei ("Great Teacher"). O-Sensei was born in Tanabe, Japan in 1883 and studied multiple martial arts in his youth, before meeting Takeda Sōkaku, the founder of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu. O-Sensei studied with Takeda and became a licensed teacher of this art before spending the next 30 years developing Aikido.
O-Sensei’s philosophies combine the martial effectiveness of combat with the non-aggressive ki-focused techniques influenced by Shintoism and Buddhism. His breadth of knowledge and experience come from a spiritual upbringing advocating peace, military training as a sergeant in the Imperial Japanese Army, and decades of martial arts study with a variety of art forms.